Dwarves
Circa 730 T.E. Culture The Dwarves have long lived in monarchies. Their central continental home of Dovak is ruled by a single Monarch, the Dwarven King, as it has been done for generations upon generations. However outside of Dovak Dwarves tend to establish smaller monarchies such as Wutnaut. This is done because the Dwarven King cannot be expected to keep up with Dwarven lands on other continents; however when the central Dwarven King makes a law or gives an order, every other Dwarven kingdom must follow suit. Law and order are central pillars in their culture. Dwarves tend to settle in the mountains and live out their lives there, using natural bulwarks against threats and mining precious metals and diamonds from the mountains. Dwarves are fond of booze, and have a tendency to be very welcoming to outsiders sometimes merely for the prospects of foreign alcohols. Though tricksters and con artists such as the Vulpoi are strictly banned from entering Dwarven cities and will be thrown out when found by guards. Physical Description Dwarves stand anywhere from 4 to 4 ½ feet in height. However Dwarves are broad, compact creatures and can sometimes weigh as much as a Human. Dwarvish men are typically far heavier and noticeably taller than Dwarvish women. Their skin tends to be a tan brownish color. Dwarven hair has a tendency to be red or brown, sometimes darker and sometimes lighter, but they always seem to have dark eyes with few exceptions. Dwarves favor simplistic styles for their hair and clothes, but often choose to be extravagant with their beards. It is worth noting; even the female Dwarves have beards. Beards are more important than names in Dwarven culture, and Dwarves can trace a reasonable amount of family history through the beard of another Dwarf. A certain pattern on the left side of their beard could mean they served as a soldier under the central Dwarven King, three black beads on a strand of that pattern could mean they spent three years of service and a fourth purple bead with the King’s sigil on it could mean an honorable dismissal from service due to injury or family obligation or something similar. The most awful of Dwarven criminals usually have their beard burnt so it may not grow back, and are outcast from society. Most Dwarves will not associate with a Dwarf who has had his beard burnt off, even if he should say it is by accident. This has led into quite a bit of research for magical ways to restore hair. Dwarves can live to be over 400 years old, and mature to adulthood at about the age of 50. Relations Dwarves have always been on good terms with the Gnomes. Many of the smaller races have a tendency to enjoy each other’s company. However, in the case of Halflings the Dwarven attitude is changing. Halflings are sternly disapproving of the Dwarves’ use of Elven slaves. Halfling activists in Dwarvish lands have been stealing and freeing slaves, burning down the homes of wealthy owners, and more. The Dwarves have been brooding over what to do about this; slaves are a perfectly legal thing to own in Dwarvish lands, Halflings have no right to tell them what to do. Halfling activists are being jailed or executed depending on how far they were willing to go in their crimes, but a race as lawless and splintered as the Halflings is a hard one to reason with. Humans are quite resented in these times as well; their lust for power and might has been a troubling thing for the past 700 years. Orcs are mostly considered to be detestable by association with the Humans, but not quite as bad. As for the Elves, Dwarves are neutral on the subject of them, but not apt to free them. Alignment As stated before, the Dwarves are lawful. The world has rules, the king has rules. The law is something to be feared and obeyed. Giving in to nature never built a city, wild wanderlust never forged a sword, and dancing into the night never fed a hungry child. Conquering the chaotic nature of the soul is the first step toward civilized society, and the Dwarves know this. Whether they are evil for owning slaves or not is in the eye of the beholder. At the same time they wish to fight against the imbalance of power growing in the world. But is it for selfish reasons or merely for survival? Typical Member of the Six Many Dwarves choose to worship Nez, the creator of the races. Dwarves are usually a very religious people, and it is hard to find a Dwarf who is not a worshipper of Nez but some do prefer to worship the Night Finger, as he created the mountains in which they thrive. These Dwarves will typically agree with the materialistic sentiment of the Night Finger and hoard many jewels and gems from their mountain. However, these Dwarves do not tend to steal as the Night Finger would like. Notable Regions of Dominance Mass Dwarvish Populations (80-100%): Dovak High Dwarvish Populations (60-79%): Kingdom of Wutnaut Language Dwarves speak Common and Dwarvish. Their written script actually serves as a basis for many other written languages that do not have their own alphabet such as Orcish, Gnomish, Goblin, and Giant with little variation. If Dwarves do go for another language it is usually one of these. Some masters have learned Elvish though in an attempt to keep their slaves from hiding secrets. Names Dwarven children are given their name by the King of the kingdom in which they live. This has been a tradition since the days of having a clan elder do the same task millennia ago. Dwarvish names are typically powerful and militant, reflecting their history of valiant war. A Dwarve’s name is special, though not as special as his beard. It has history to it, and has been used and reused throughout the ages. The king uses his wisdom to decide what warrior, blacksmith, or other figure the child should be named after. As such a Dwarve’s name is not his own. Should he bring shame to it, he will be stripped of it by the king’s decree. Male Names: Baron, Brotts, Ebony, Einzboller, Lokk, Rurick, Taklinn, Tunder, Ulfgar, Veit Female Names: Artin, Audhild, Dagnia, Dessie, Gunnloda, Hildwry, Lutghet, Staltzin, Zildania Livelihoods Dwarves make fine blacksmiths, miners, and surprisingly good sailors. The Dwarves' strong compact bodies have proven them to be more than capable of taking on the sea. Those who leave their Dwarven home for prospects of adventure sometimes find themselves aboard vessels exploring the Ocean of Thir’s Shadow or the Green Ocean. Dwarves have not always been capable sailors, as it’s worth noting the Balderian Ocean was named by a Dwarf. As many can tell the Balderian Ocean is actually a sea, and the Dwarf who named it just didn’t know the difference, attesting to the mediocrity of old Dwarvish sailors. Sailing is a sort of progressive movement, and some sailing Dwarves see their mountain-dwelling brothers as sort of country bumpkin types. Regardless, any Dwarf makes for a more than capable fighter, and when dual-classingas such they won’t suffer experience loss for it.